


The Meaning of a Blue Shell

by DjDangerLove



Series: Tarlos March Madness [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, M/M, Mario Kart, everyone is happy and nothing hurts, so much love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DjDangerLove/pseuds/DjDangerLove
Summary: “What’s the matter? Afraid you can’t out run a cop?”“Pfff, please. You’re looking at the Capture the Flag champion of River East Elementary three years in a row.”“Good luck to you, Strand,” Carlos grins menacingly before shifting one way then taking off in the other.Or: a simple game of Mario Kart ends in a real life chase
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Tarlos March Madness [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189232
Comments: 27
Kudos: 219





	The Meaning of a Blue Shell

**Author's Note:**

> Tarlos March Madness #3 of 31

The anomaly of them each having Saturday off leaves them waking up after noon and deciding not to leave the house until the start of their next shifts. They shuffle downstairs in search of food, shorts and t-shirts a bit askew from their playful morning in bed. Carlos peeks into the refrigerator taking stock of what they have and listing out the things he could possibly make them for lunch while TK jumps to sit on the counter near the sink. 

Carlos still has his head in the refrigerator when he hears TK suggest, “Or we could just eat cereal,” around the sound of loud crunching. Upon turning around, he sees TK is already doing so straight out of the box. Carlos rolls his eyes, heavy with fondness, before abandoning his pursuit of a more suitable meal in favor of grabbing two bowls from the cupboard beside TK’s head. 

“I don’t know if they have these things called bowls in New York, but here in Austin we like to use them,” he teases as he sets two down on the counter and swats at TK’s leg with the back of his hand until he lifts it out of the way of the drawer with the spoons. 

“We have them, but we’re smart enough to know you have to eat some out of the box before you change the flavor of it with milk,” TK says like it’s a reasonable counterpoint to have. Carlos stares at him like he’s grown another head. 

TK shoves a handful of dry Lucky Charms into his mouth before noticing Carlos’ bewildered expression. “What?”

“You’re so weird,” he replies, jerking the box from TK’s hand and pouring some in both bowls. He forgoes putting the box back in the cabinet and ends up giving it back to TK so he can continue to eat from the box. The pleased grin he gets in response does _not_ make him preen. It absolutely _does not._

Carlos retrieves the milk and pours a heavy amount into his own bowl and then holds it over TK’s only to be stopped by the man’s voice, “Not that much in mine! And you gotta-“

“Pour it around the sides, not in the middle. I know,” Carlos finishes as he does as instructed, well aware of the bizarre ritual TK makes out of fixing cereal. 

“Thanks,” TK smiles sheepishly at him while putting away the box in favor of taking up the bowl. 

“You’re lucky I find your weirdness so adorable,” Carlos says, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend’s cheek while picking up his own bowl. “Wanna eat on the couch?”

TK hops off the counter and follows him over to the living room. “Can we play Mario Kart?”

“You’re terrible at Mario Kart,” Carlos laughs around a mouthful of Lucky Charms. He nearly spills them from the bowl when TK nudges him a little too hard with his elbow.

“I’m not _terrible_.” TK defends, but at the look Carlos gives him he switches tactics. “Well, excuse me for being an only child and not having any one to play video games with 24/7. I didn’t have as much practice as you did.”

Carlos rolls his eyes. “Wow. The only child card, huh? That’s your defense in not being able to play a game for kids.”

“If it’s a kid’s game then why do you and Paul curse so much when you play it?”

“Because he has surprising accuracy with green shells that no one should have and I don’t appreciate him coming into my own house and taking my Mario Kart Championship title.”

“Now who’s the weird one?” TK asks, winking like he’s sure of the answer.

“Still you by a long shot,” Carlos decides while standing from the couch to get the Nintendo controllers. He tosses one at TK and sits back down. Cereal bowl long forgotten at the excitement of playing one of his favorite games. “Don’t be mad when I smoke you.”

“Mmmkay,” TK mumbles while setting his own bowl aside and sitting criss-cross applesauce on the couch. Carlos lounges back and brings up the game menu, selecting 100cc and Koopa Troopa as his character while TK goes for Yoshi. Carlos notices, but doesn’t say anything as TK makes the same exact cart selections as he does. Not like it’s going to help him. 

Carlos acts like he’s going to select Rainbow Road for the course just to get a rise out of TK first thing, and sure enough, his boyfriend shoves him with a “Don’t you dare, Reyes.” Carlos delights at the reaction as he chooses Moo Moo Meadows instead. 

The race goes smoothly for Carlos, and even though TK runs into the crossing cows like he usually does he ends up in sixth place instead of eleventh or twelfth. Carlos eyes him curiously as the points are totaled up on the screen.

TK shrugs under his gaze and says, “Just got lucky, I guess. Pick another course.”

Carlos turns back to the screen and selects Mario’s Circuit. The race isn’t as easy as the last one, Carlos getting two first place shells from the computer characters and a third suspicious one at the end that puts him finishing in second place and TK swearing it wasn’t him. Carlos makes note of TK finishing in fifth place. 

“You’re doing better,” Carlos says, skepticism clear in his voice.

TK smiles but it’s very telling of _something_ , Carlos just can’t pinpoint what.  
“Just luck, I guess? Or maybe I am getting better. Playing with you guys and whatnot.”

“You only ever play like one race,” Carlos counters, but then starts to feel bad about practically interrogating his boyfriend over a game. “But hey, it’s good you’re getting better. Maybe you’ll play more with us.” 

TK nods, smile a bit forced before turning back to the screen. “Next race, then.”

They play a couple more courses, each race making Carlos more and more curious because TK isn’t just better at Mario Kart. He’s actually good. He doesn’t finish in the top three but he’s consistent in the middle of the pack and he’s never once finished above tenth before today. 

He decides to test his theory that’s slowly coming together in his head by selecting Ghost Valley. By the time they’re on the second lap TK has only fallen off the course once and something heavy and warm settles in Carlos’ chest. That is, until it’s the third lap and TK is in fourth place with Carlos leading the race. He hears the item box chime as TK hits one and sees the infamous blue shell pop up in the corner of TK’s screen. 

“Tyler Kennedy, if you so much as think about-“

TK slamming his finger on the release button cuts Carlos off mid threat as the blue shell swooshes on screen and pummels Carlos right at the finish line taking out the next two cars behind him. Meaning when the victory sound dings, it’s TK that crosses the finish line first. 

The two of them are both frozen solid for different reasons of shock, Yoshi celebrating on screen a stark comparison. 

“You just-“

“Did I just-“

“But how-“

“How did I-“

They turn to look at each other at the same time, TK smiling ear to ear and Carlos glaring.  
TK’s smile begins to falter. “Carlos-“

“Oh no. You brought this on yourself.”

“I thought you’d be proud-“

“You used a blue shell at the last second!”

“I’ve seen you do that several times with Paul. I just- oh no.” TK stops, eyes going wide at the sudden realization of the aftermath of either Carlos or Paul using a blue shell on the last lap. “Now, Carlos. Listen, before you-“

Carlos lunges at him, but TK jumps off the couch in a sprawl of limbs with a startled laugh. He circles the coffee table, strategically placing the piece of furniture between them. “Really?”

“What’s the matter? Afraid you can’t out run a cop?”

“Pfff, please. You’re looking at the Capture the Flag champion of River East Elementary three years in a row.”

“Good luck to you, Strand,” Carlos grins menacingly before shifting one way then taking off in the other. TK cackles as he runs towards the kitchen, putting the kitchen island between them. He fakes left, then right, knowing Carlos will think he’s copying his earlier move so he goes back left when Carlos commits right and races for the stairs. He trips once, shin bruising on the ledge but he pays no mind as he can hear Carlos right behind him. 

He heads for the bedroom rushing to the side of the bed farthest from the door and Carlos launches himself across it just like TK hoped he would. He jumps back as Carlos swipes out with his arm to pull him onto the mattress and rushes out of the room while Carlos untangles himself from their unmade bed. 

He hurriedly takes the stairs back down, skipping the last two by jumping and quickly running for the back door. He opens it, leaves it standing wide as he turns the frame and pushes himself up against the outside of the house. He bites his lip as he hears Carlos coming down the stairs and tries not to make a sound as Carlos rushes from the living room out to the porch. 

His boyfriend comes to a stop on the grass in a split second of confusion at the lack of TK and the firefighter uses that moment to come from behind and tackle him to the grass. Carlos lets out a startled yelp that dissolves into a fit of laughter as TK flips him on his back and straddles him, placing his hands on either side of his head like he’s trapped. 

They stare at each other for moment while they catch their breath before TK dives in to catch his mouth with his own. He pulls back with a brilliant grin and touts, “Told you I was Capture the Flag champion.” 

Carlos leans up and kisses him again, then quickly and efficiently flips them over, this time pinning TK into the grass. “And I knew you couldn’t outrun this cop.”

TK blinks heatedly up at him. “Who said I wanted to?”

Carlos kisses him again for several long seconds before his earlier suspicion catches up to him. He pulls back suddenly leaving TK groaning in protest.

“Tell me the truth. Why are you suddenly decent at Mario Kart?”

“Decent, he says,” TK rolls his eyes, but his amusement never leaves his face. “Such a flatterer, you are.”

Carlos just raises his eyebrow.  
TK sighs. 

“Fine! I’ve been practicing with Paul at the station,” Tk admits while reaching up to run his hand over the fresh grass stains on Carlos’ shirt. 

“You…what?” Carlos’ brain short-circuits for a second. “Why?”

TK runs his hand along his boyfriend’s arm. “Because…you love playing Mario Kart and I know you hate playing with me because I suck at it-“

“That’s not true-“

TK laughs. “It is! I know it’s not fun to play with someone you know you’re going to beat every time so I asked Paul to teach me so that way maybe I could play with you more.”

Carlos can’t help it that his only response to that is to kiss TK again.

TK laughs into it and pushes him back. “You’re lucky I find your weirdness adorable,” he parrots Carlos’ earlier words. 

“I don’t find it weird that I’m turned on by the fact my boyfriend went out of his way to learn something he doesn’t care for just so he could share it with me.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” TK concedes, but then his eyes darken around a grin and he flips them back over. “But just so we’re clear, I beat you at Mario Kart and I beat you at this, too.”

Before Carlos has time to react, TK launches himself to his feet and takes off running for the house. Carlos lays in the grass a moment, weighed down by so much happiness it feels impossible to move, and decides that maybe it isn’t so bad if someone comes into his house and takes away his Mario Kart Championship status after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos are appreciated. Comments are food.  
> A healthy(ish) portion of angst is on the menu for tomorrow...  
> Come yell at me @ DjDangerLove on tumblr


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